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Opinion Poll 2016 - regional overview (factsheet)

Majority of citizens in Southern Mediterranean see the EU as an important partner to their country, regional poll finds

At least six in ten respondents in the Southern Mediterranean partner countries agree the EU is an important partner (Maghreb: 65%, Mashrek: 63%), and at least two thirds of those asked in both Maghreb (70%) and Mashrek (66%) say the EU has good relations with their country. These are some of the key findings of the first report of an opinion poll carried out in the framework of the EU-funded EU Neighbours South project.

According to the poll, a great majority of respondents in the Maghreb think the EU should have a greater role to play in their country in trade (74%), human rights and economic development (both 72%). In the Mashrek, the most mentioned areas are economic development (76%), trade (74%) and human rights (68%).

The opinion polls, conducted in seven EU Southern Neighbourhood partner countries: Algeria, Israel, Jordan Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia, looked, inter alia, at perceptions of, and attitudes towards the EU, level of information about the EU awareness of EU financial support as well as the general mood of respondents in the Southern Neighbourhood countries, including their views on current and future economic, employment and general life situations.

The EU Neighbours portal is part of the OPEN Neighbourhood Programme. Launched in November 2015 for a period of four years, the Programme builds up on the previous EU Neighbourhood Info Centre and seeks to raise awareness, increase knowledge and understanding of the European Neighbourhood Policy.